| Beware
of the silent disease |
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| The
BMD test is a painless procedure. |
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Osteoporosis, which means porous bones, is
a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle,
resulting in a greater likelihood of breaking after
minor trauma.
Bone is constantly being removed and replaced in
our body. This process is called “remodelling”.
Osteoporosis occurs when bone is lost faster than
it can be replaced.
Osteoporosis is a “silent” disease.
People with osteoporosis often do not know that
they have the condition.
Fractures from osteoporosis commonly occur in the
hip, spine and wrist. One in three persons with
hip fractures suffers considerable loss of function
and becomes dependent on others. One in five people
dies within a year of sustaining a hip fracture.
You are more likely to get osteoporosis if you:
|
• |
are female |
|
• |
are over 65
years of age |
| • |
have a family history
of osteoporosis |
| • |
are thin and small built |
| • |
are a woman who is menopausal
or if your ovaries have been removed |
| • |
are not consuming enough
calcium in your diet |
| • |
don’t exercise regularly |
| • |
smoke |
| • |
drink excessive alcohol |
| • |
use medicines such as
corticosteroids, certain diuretics and blood-thinning
medicines |
Although women are more prone to getting osteoporosis,
men can get
it too.
To find out your risk of getting osteoporosis, use
the Osteoporosis
Self-assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA). Measure
your weight in kilogrammes and look at the OSTA
chart to identify your risk. If your risk is moderate
or high, see your doctor. You may need to be screened
for osteoporosis.
Routine X-rays cannot detect osteoporosis until
it is quite advanced and there is a lot of bone
loss. The best way to detect osteoporosis is to
carry out a Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test to measure
density (solidness) at various sites (e.g. hip,
spine). It will help to assess your risk of having
a fracture.
BMD is frequently measured by dual energy X-ray
absorptiometry (DXA). It is a painless procedure.
Consult your doctor for advice if your OSTA test
result shows your risk is medium or high. The BMD
test is not conducted for everyone. The decision
to check your BMD should therefore be based on your
risk of getting osteoporosis.
Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, medications
are available for treating osteoporosis.
| Find
out if you are at risk with this OSTA chart |
| Age
(Yr) |
Weight
(kg) |
| 40-44 |
45-49 |
50-54 |
55-59 |
60-64 |
65-69 |
70-74 |
75-79 |
| 45-49 |
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| 50-54 |
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| 55-59 |
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|
Low
Risk |
|
| 60-64 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 65-69 |
|
|
Moderate
Risk |
|
|
|
|
| 70-74 |
|
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|
|
|
| 75-79 |
High
Risk |
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| 80-84 |
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| 85-89 |
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| Copyright
2001, MSD, Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. All
rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. |
|
